- Less is more. Possessions can weigh down our spirit.
- The written word is a cornerstone of culture. Somehow we began to murder the English language mutating words and slang.
- Having teeth is important. We need to pay attention to oral hygiene.
- Reading books enriches our imagination.
- Giving and receiving love makes us better human beings.
- Laughter and humor are necessary. Don't take yourself too seriously.
- Believe in "something".
- Celebrity is incipient.
- Live life without regret.
- Be a good listener.It makes it hard to get into trouble.
- How you dress leaves a lasting impression.
- There is no such thing as having too much humility.
- Sex is a way for people to physically connect and promote intimacy in a relationship.
- We need food to provide fuel for our bodies.
- Size matters. Have a big heart.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Things I Have Learned About LIFE
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Birthdays
As birthdays go I think I'm ready to call it a draw. "Don't ask don't tell". I go through the motions of celebrating my birthday but honestly I would rather not acknowledge the growing old part. I have joked with friends and family that it is time to start counting backwards. I remember in my younger years looking forward to birthdays and celebrating but now it is more something to endure.Yes,with age comes wisdom but you can't really do much about it other than to look or act wise.
The aches and pains are not things I bargained for. I don't recall my parents complaining but then again maybe I just wasn't listening. I recall thinking they were old but now at the same age I am declaring to myself "I'm not that old!" Fifty is the new forty and forty is the new thirty. Don't believe it for a minute. When you begin to grow older you no longer stay up all night "partying" with friends and a 10:oo bedtime seems rational. After a long day I'm ready to rest and retire early, "tomorrow is another day" and pace yourself. When you reach a certain age you start to loose your youthful glow and sadly things begin to sag with the inevitable gravity. Don't get me wrong , I accept all of this but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
I work with some people who have parents my age and we often joke about it and I will say "I have shoes older than you". They were born after John Kennedy was president so for them that constitutes history. So I guess to them I represent history.When out in public I will sometimes look over at other individuals who look about the same age and inside I'm despairing about how old they look. We start to move a bit slower and youth passes us as if we are in the way.
At some point it is acceptance to stop fighting the aging process. We can't reverse the aging process so why not embrace it if possible.I do not quite agree that people should have" work" done as a way of stalling the inevitable. I think that is more for the Hollywood types not our everyday people.
I'm not ready for the grave yet but I have come to realize that even middle age is past its bloom.
So for now I will try to keep my appearances up as much as I am able but have stopped dying my hair.I'm okay with having to wear bifocals to see up close.When I gaze in the mirror I am sometimes shocked to see this older friend looking back at me with a reassuring smile that everything will be okay. So you're not 19 anymore, get over it.
The aches and pains are not things I bargained for. I don't recall my parents complaining but then again maybe I just wasn't listening. I recall thinking they were old but now at the same age I am declaring to myself "I'm not that old!" Fifty is the new forty and forty is the new thirty. Don't believe it for a minute. When you begin to grow older you no longer stay up all night "partying" with friends and a 10:oo bedtime seems rational. After a long day I'm ready to rest and retire early, "tomorrow is another day" and pace yourself. When you reach a certain age you start to loose your youthful glow and sadly things begin to sag with the inevitable gravity. Don't get me wrong , I accept all of this but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
I work with some people who have parents my age and we often joke about it and I will say "I have shoes older than you". They were born after John Kennedy was president so for them that constitutes history. So I guess to them I represent history.When out in public I will sometimes look over at other individuals who look about the same age and inside I'm despairing about how old they look. We start to move a bit slower and youth passes us as if we are in the way.
At some point it is acceptance to stop fighting the aging process. We can't reverse the aging process so why not embrace it if possible.I do not quite agree that people should have" work" done as a way of stalling the inevitable. I think that is more for the Hollywood types not our everyday people.
I'm not ready for the grave yet but I have come to realize that even middle age is past its bloom.
So for now I will try to keep my appearances up as much as I am able but have stopped dying my hair.I'm okay with having to wear bifocals to see up close.When I gaze in the mirror I am sometimes shocked to see this older friend looking back at me with a reassuring smile that everything will be okay. So you're not 19 anymore, get over it.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Secret Hiding Places / Innocence Lost
When I was growing up in the 1950's and 60's kids could freely roam the neighborhood and there was little or no worry about being abducted by strangers. Neighbors watched over all of us and if you happened to do something wrong your parents were called and told about it. Punishment would be swift and appropriate, usually grounded to your own yard.
Things seem to have changed quite a bit now. You very rarely see children out playing. Play dates are arranged and parents drive their kids over to some one's house. In my neighborhood growing up you just walked down the street until you found other kids playing and joined in. Our parents told us to go out and play and that we did. Everyone in the neighborhood knew everyone else and every yard was a playground. My best friend Jane and I used to wander into other people's back yards, play on their swing sets or whatever, and be invited in for cookies and milk by nice old people. We had quite a racket going until we knocked on this one lady's door who had given us some candy one day. She worked nights as a nurse and slept during the day and we woke her up so she had to inform our parents that we were knocking on her door asking for candy and it wasn't Halloween.We were "spoken" to and told to stop knocking on people's doors asking for candy.
Every kid has a secret hiding place. When you grow up in a neighborhood where safety and security are expected as part of an innocent childhood you are free to explore within the boundaries of the area defined by your parents. At the end of our street was a small wooded area where kids were always building forts and clubhouses. It always seemed to be a magnet for playing army man, jungle, and spy games. There was a small hill which we would climb up and slide down on pieces of cardboard boxes when some one's parents purchased a new TV or washing machine. All kinds of schemes were hatched, our plans to find out things we overheard our parents talking about. There was this poor lonely man named Oscar that did nothing to harm anyone but somehow when a kids imagination takes over anything is possible. He apparently worked at one time as a mortician and the kids in the neighborhood believed he had dead bodies in his basement so we were always skulking around trying to peek in his cellar window. We probably terrorized the poor man. We would run and hide when we saw him walking down the street. He had an unfortunate sister who dressed in old fashioned black clothes and carried a large bag, probably to put groceries in, but we had our own theory that she carried her own dead baby in it.
The only toy a kid really needed was a bicycle. We would spend hours playing chicken on our bikes which lead to at least one trip per summer to the emergency room.We would make pretend we were riding horses and have riding competitions.The only thing that would interrupt our play is when we had to run home to go the bathroom. We were expected to show back up at home for lunch and then try to escape our parents list of chores so we could continue whatever game we were playing. You had to be home when the street lights came on at dark and if you were late they would yell your name out the door until you heard it and hurried home.
As we grew older the parameters of our explorations were extended further. There was a very small "secret"military installation on the other side of a causeway road that held endless fascination for all of us. We grew up in the era of fearing Russia was going to attack the United States so there were fenced in missile bunkers hidden in several innocuous locations which just happened to be very close to our neighborhood. The view extended into Boston Harbor so it was of strategic importance in case the Russians tried to sneak in a submarine.(I am not making this up.) Things were very different back then when the Cuban Missile Crisis had occurred. We would hide in the grass watching helicopters land and take off and sometimes a loud whistle would blow and out would come these missiles out of the hidden bunkers. They would test them every few weeks to make sure they still were operational. You can imagine being a kid seeing this. Our parents did not seem overly concerned about this. I guess they felt a certain sense of security. As long as we stayed away from the fence no one seemed to care. Who knows if the military guys were watching us with binoculars and viewing it as benign activity.
I guess childhood was not as innocent as I choose to remember. Maybe the world hasn't really changed that much. Now we have to be vigilant about another group of bad guys.
Things seem to have changed quite a bit now. You very rarely see children out playing. Play dates are arranged and parents drive their kids over to some one's house. In my neighborhood growing up you just walked down the street until you found other kids playing and joined in. Our parents told us to go out and play and that we did. Everyone in the neighborhood knew everyone else and every yard was a playground. My best friend Jane and I used to wander into other people's back yards, play on their swing sets or whatever, and be invited in for cookies and milk by nice old people. We had quite a racket going until we knocked on this one lady's door who had given us some candy one day. She worked nights as a nurse and slept during the day and we woke her up so she had to inform our parents that we were knocking on her door asking for candy and it wasn't Halloween.We were "spoken" to and told to stop knocking on people's doors asking for candy.
Every kid has a secret hiding place. When you grow up in a neighborhood where safety and security are expected as part of an innocent childhood you are free to explore within the boundaries of the area defined by your parents. At the end of our street was a small wooded area where kids were always building forts and clubhouses. It always seemed to be a magnet for playing army man, jungle, and spy games. There was a small hill which we would climb up and slide down on pieces of cardboard boxes when some one's parents purchased a new TV or washing machine. All kinds of schemes were hatched, our plans to find out things we overheard our parents talking about. There was this poor lonely man named Oscar that did nothing to harm anyone but somehow when a kids imagination takes over anything is possible. He apparently worked at one time as a mortician and the kids in the neighborhood believed he had dead bodies in his basement so we were always skulking around trying to peek in his cellar window. We probably terrorized the poor man. We would run and hide when we saw him walking down the street. He had an unfortunate sister who dressed in old fashioned black clothes and carried a large bag, probably to put groceries in, but we had our own theory that she carried her own dead baby in it.
The only toy a kid really needed was a bicycle. We would spend hours playing chicken on our bikes which lead to at least one trip per summer to the emergency room.We would make pretend we were riding horses and have riding competitions.The only thing that would interrupt our play is when we had to run home to go the bathroom. We were expected to show back up at home for lunch and then try to escape our parents list of chores so we could continue whatever game we were playing. You had to be home when the street lights came on at dark and if you were late they would yell your name out the door until you heard it and hurried home.
As we grew older the parameters of our explorations were extended further. There was a very small "secret"military installation on the other side of a causeway road that held endless fascination for all of us. We grew up in the era of fearing Russia was going to attack the United States so there were fenced in missile bunkers hidden in several innocuous locations which just happened to be very close to our neighborhood. The view extended into Boston Harbor so it was of strategic importance in case the Russians tried to sneak in a submarine.(I am not making this up.) Things were very different back then when the Cuban Missile Crisis had occurred. We would hide in the grass watching helicopters land and take off and sometimes a loud whistle would blow and out would come these missiles out of the hidden bunkers. They would test them every few weeks to make sure they still were operational. You can imagine being a kid seeing this. Our parents did not seem overly concerned about this. I guess they felt a certain sense of security. As long as we stayed away from the fence no one seemed to care. Who knows if the military guys were watching us with binoculars and viewing it as benign activity.
I guess childhood was not as innocent as I choose to remember. Maybe the world hasn't really changed that much. Now we have to be vigilant about another group of bad guys.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Good Morning! Shut up and leave me alone.
I had to give up caffeine several years ago when I began to realize it was effecting my sleep pattern and causing me to feel "wired". I noticed that it was taking me a long time to fall asleep at night and there were occasions when I was laying awake in bed trying various techniques to induce slumber (no nasty thoughts please). You can't function very long with disrupted sleep but I know quite a few individuals who survive on only a few hours each night. That isn't me. When I was in my teens I would engage in marathon sleep sessions until my mother would come in to my room and check to see if I was still breathing. I used to enjoy sleeping " in" on the weekends which is nearly impossible and unrealistic when you are raising children.
I seem to do okay with about 6 1/2 hours sleep each night but 8 is even better. I am not one of those people that wakes up in the morning all chipper and lively. When I first wake up it takes me awhile to figure out what day it is and then once I realize it isn't the weekend I start to convince myself to assume the position (upright), and stare blankly at nothing imparticular, dangling my legs off the side of the bed. I have been known to utter nonsense and confusion, likely related to the last thing I was dreaming. The other morning I woke up in my usual catatonic stupor and began to relate that the circus had come to town and there were no parking spaces. My husband is used to this behavior by now and tends to just go with the flow and will offer a benign comment , "oh that's interesting".
In order to further orient myself I will sometimes totter over and look out the window and check to see what the weather is outside. Lately it usually involves snow and cold temperatures.For part of the winter it was even more disconcerting because it was dark outside when it was time to get up at 6:30AM. Lately it has been getting lighter out in the morning and it also stays light out till 5:30 - 6:00 in the evening which makes it an easier ride home after work.
In the summertime we have our windows open and the birds will start chirping out as soon as the early dawn shows its light and it is hard to ignore the crows plaintive caws. By the way, I really dislike crows and consider them evil.
Suffice to say I am not a morning person. When the children were young and needed to get up for school it became my husband's job to interact with them and supervise because Mommy wasn't quite that swift. When I would try to help it usually would not be a good thing because I was unable to absorb details nor operate my motor functions. They still like to tell the story about how I was really trying but ended up pouring orange juice into the cereal bowl. So it became usual for me to remain in the bedroom and gradually begin my morning routine instead of worrying I might burn the house down by turning on the wrong burner on the stove (been there done that).
If I'm allowed to gradually gather myself within an hour I'm usually myself then but people who have stayed overnight have made the mistake of trying to engage me with verbal interaction and learn I can be unpredictable. I've been known to fade out of the room and seek a quiet corner. It's not meant to be rude I just can't deal with people babbling at me too early in the morning. Of course my husband knows all of this, saint that he is , and has learned to only speak when spoken to. Once I'm talking he knows that my brain is fully functional and it's safe to initiate conversation.
Since I am expected to get myself ready for work I usually pick out what I'm going to wear the night before if possible so I don't have to think about trying to match something in the morning when I'm not at my best. I have also learned from experience that I need at least 90 minutes to get myself on the right track and out the door. By then I'm fine to drive to work and I usually arrive early so I can take some time to unhurriedly get my desk in order before my usual busy day starts.
I guess I am a creature of habit but that is how I have learned to survive not being a functional person in the morning. It would be great if I could sleep until 8:30-9:oo and leisurely meander into the kitchen and have a relaxing cup of decaf tea and maybe watch a little of the Today Show, which frankly I haven't been all that enthralled with lately, especially when they show screaming people as they pan the camera across the crowd and Al Roker starts his shicht. Let's face it I'm kind of a grouch first thing in the morning and my family has learned to adjust to that and stay clear of me. I won't go into further detail but I'm not a good phone talker in the morning so it's not really a good idea to call me before 9:oo especially on weekends because I'm not sure what might be said.
I seem to do okay with about 6 1/2 hours sleep each night but 8 is even better. I am not one of those people that wakes up in the morning all chipper and lively. When I first wake up it takes me awhile to figure out what day it is and then once I realize it isn't the weekend I start to convince myself to assume the position (upright), and stare blankly at nothing imparticular, dangling my legs off the side of the bed. I have been known to utter nonsense and confusion, likely related to the last thing I was dreaming. The other morning I woke up in my usual catatonic stupor and began to relate that the circus had come to town and there were no parking spaces. My husband is used to this behavior by now and tends to just go with the flow and will offer a benign comment , "oh that's interesting".
In order to further orient myself I will sometimes totter over and look out the window and check to see what the weather is outside. Lately it usually involves snow and cold temperatures.For part of the winter it was even more disconcerting because it was dark outside when it was time to get up at 6:30AM. Lately it has been getting lighter out in the morning and it also stays light out till 5:30 - 6:00 in the evening which makes it an easier ride home after work.
In the summertime we have our windows open and the birds will start chirping out as soon as the early dawn shows its light and it is hard to ignore the crows plaintive caws. By the way, I really dislike crows and consider them evil.
Suffice to say I am not a morning person. When the children were young and needed to get up for school it became my husband's job to interact with them and supervise because Mommy wasn't quite that swift. When I would try to help it usually would not be a good thing because I was unable to absorb details nor operate my motor functions. They still like to tell the story about how I was really trying but ended up pouring orange juice into the cereal bowl. So it became usual for me to remain in the bedroom and gradually begin my morning routine instead of worrying I might burn the house down by turning on the wrong burner on the stove (been there done that).
If I'm allowed to gradually gather myself within an hour I'm usually myself then but people who have stayed overnight have made the mistake of trying to engage me with verbal interaction and learn I can be unpredictable. I've been known to fade out of the room and seek a quiet corner. It's not meant to be rude I just can't deal with people babbling at me too early in the morning. Of course my husband knows all of this, saint that he is , and has learned to only speak when spoken to. Once I'm talking he knows that my brain is fully functional and it's safe to initiate conversation.
Since I am expected to get myself ready for work I usually pick out what I'm going to wear the night before if possible so I don't have to think about trying to match something in the morning when I'm not at my best. I have also learned from experience that I need at least 90 minutes to get myself on the right track and out the door. By then I'm fine to drive to work and I usually arrive early so I can take some time to unhurriedly get my desk in order before my usual busy day starts.
I guess I am a creature of habit but that is how I have learned to survive not being a functional person in the morning. It would be great if I could sleep until 8:30-9:oo and leisurely meander into the kitchen and have a relaxing cup of decaf tea and maybe watch a little of the Today Show, which frankly I haven't been all that enthralled with lately, especially when they show screaming people as they pan the camera across the crowd and Al Roker starts his shicht. Let's face it I'm kind of a grouch first thing in the morning and my family has learned to adjust to that and stay clear of me. I won't go into further detail but I'm not a good phone talker in the morning so it's not really a good idea to call me before 9:oo especially on weekends because I'm not sure what might be said.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A Day in the Life
Today was just a regular ordinary day for me. I awoke at 6:30, went down the cellar and loaded the wood stove. After burning all night there were some live coals left to reignite and rekindle the wood.This is not my usual job but my husband was away on business and so it became my job. Then I went back upstairs took a shower, blow dried my hair and got dressed. It had snowed more over night so it was necessary to put my boots and snow pants on and shovel the walkway and a path to the garage.I was worried that since my husband wasn't home to snow blow the driveway that I might get my Jeep stuck in the 8-10 inches of snow despite having four wheel drive.(I had already shoveled the day before just to get ahead of the game but then it snowed another few inches overnight. My nose was running and I didn't have a kleenex so I had to wipe my nose on the sleeve of my LL Bean anorak. By 8:30 I was pretty tired from all the snow shoveling and I had a 9:15 dentist appointment so I was very conscious of the time. I changed out of my snow shoveling clothes and put my work clothes back on.
I was able to make a quick cup of tea and eat a piece of corn bread while simultaneously packing a quickie lunch. I had to brush my teeth for the second time before I left the house because it's not nice to show up at the dentist with food bits in your teeth.
I was a little worried about backing out of the garage and making it down the long driveway with 8 inches of snow so I had my four wheel drive in gear and kept enough speed and momentum so that I wouldn't get stuck which has happened to me before. The roads had been plowed and they were clear of any substantial snow however the side roads were plowed but still slightly snow covered. I had to put the Jeep back in four wheel drive on the side street of my dentist's office.The parking lot was plowed with no problems with parking. It was about 13 degrees out so I had my long coat on but didn't wear a hat because I didn't want to look like I had hat head.
The dentist's office is a friendly place and I was greeted by my first name and told my dental hygienist would be right out to get me. I was there to get my teeth cleaned for my 6 month visit so it was fairly routine.My dental hygienist has a thing for cats and her whole exam room is adorned with cat posters and cat memorabilia.She also has dozens of tooth nicknaks and posters of teeth and dental care tips. I got to pick mint flavor as my choice for the stuff they clean your teeth with.We had quite a chat about the weather which is the usual topic of conversation during our snowy cold winters. I kept my eyes gazing at one of the cat posters which displayed 100 cats and a mouse and picked my favorite one and we talked about some of the other cute cats. While lieing in the reclined chair I began to notice my sore muscles from all the snow shoveling and then I told her about it all and then we talked about how I didn't know how to operate our snow blower at home and my husband being away.
The dentist comes in to check your teeth after they have been cleaned and she told me I had a few suspicious spots and would need to come back for some small fillings. I have had the misfortune of having rather cavity prone teeth my whole life and commented I should be Mrs. Dental Queen USA. My dental insurance sucks so I had to pay the difference between what they charge and what my insurance pays so I wrote a check.They gave me a follow up appointment to come back in a few weeks.
I had a quick errand to run and brought my blazer in to the dry cleaners to drop off. Then I decided to stop at Walmart because I drive past it on my way to work. Many of my co-workers are anti Walmart because of the wages and lack of health insurance afforded their workers by keeping most of them at part-time.I was in the mood to look at bras and decided to buy two. I also saw some loungey type sweat pants that I like to wear around the house so I bought a blue pair and a matching long sleeve T.
I had killed enough time by then and decided I better show up at work. It was 11:30 and I managed to get down the hallway and unlock my office door unnoticed. I checked in with the receptionist that I was there and then picked up stuff out of my mail box and returned to my office and shut my door so I could get some work done before anyone realized I was in. I decided to work thru lunch since I had been gone all morning and there is always paper work hanging over all our heads so I could get some done before my first appointment for the afternoon. In between I encountered a coworker who had to vent about a meeting the previous day that did not go well for her and I offered my sympathies. We often commiserate about a director-psychiatrist who is very difficult to deal with and has to be in control. I was able to eat a few crackers and cheese and some grapes before I saw my first client.
My afternoon consisted of seeing 3 back to back clients in a row but it wasn't too bad because it had been a short day for me but I was physically tired from all the snow shoveling and wrestling large chunks of wood in to the wood stove that morning. It started to snow again as I looked out the window and thought to myself "oh shit, another white knuckle drive home on snowy roads".It turned out to be okay .The roads weren't too bad and I was able to drive 50 miles an hour on the road home which is about a 16 mile trip.
Here comes the nice part. My husband saw me pull in the driveway and stood out on the front porch to greet me and gave me a big hug and kiss and told me he had missed me. I told him about having to shovel snow and load the wood stove and thanked him for all he does as part of his routine and how it made me appreciate all the things he does to keep the house going. He also told me I had done a good job keeping things going while he was away. He told me all about his trip while I cooked dinner and he told me he was glad to be home since he loves my food. We had chicken with apricot preserve as a marinade sauce, brown rice (he's not a big fan,can't convince him that white rice isn't good for you ), and broccoli, he will only eat the heads.
I am going to bed now after I type this post because I am really tired from all the physical activity which I am not really used to. I will be more assertive about him teaching me how to use the snow blower.
Tomorrow is another day.
I was able to make a quick cup of tea and eat a piece of corn bread while simultaneously packing a quickie lunch. I had to brush my teeth for the second time before I left the house because it's not nice to show up at the dentist with food bits in your teeth.
I was a little worried about backing out of the garage and making it down the long driveway with 8 inches of snow so I had my four wheel drive in gear and kept enough speed and momentum so that I wouldn't get stuck which has happened to me before. The roads had been plowed and they were clear of any substantial snow however the side roads were plowed but still slightly snow covered. I had to put the Jeep back in four wheel drive on the side street of my dentist's office.The parking lot was plowed with no problems with parking. It was about 13 degrees out so I had my long coat on but didn't wear a hat because I didn't want to look like I had hat head.
The dentist's office is a friendly place and I was greeted by my first name and told my dental hygienist would be right out to get me. I was there to get my teeth cleaned for my 6 month visit so it was fairly routine.My dental hygienist has a thing for cats and her whole exam room is adorned with cat posters and cat memorabilia.She also has dozens of tooth nicknaks and posters of teeth and dental care tips. I got to pick mint flavor as my choice for the stuff they clean your teeth with.We had quite a chat about the weather which is the usual topic of conversation during our snowy cold winters. I kept my eyes gazing at one of the cat posters which displayed 100 cats and a mouse and picked my favorite one and we talked about some of the other cute cats. While lieing in the reclined chair I began to notice my sore muscles from all the snow shoveling and then I told her about it all and then we talked about how I didn't know how to operate our snow blower at home and my husband being away.
The dentist comes in to check your teeth after they have been cleaned and she told me I had a few suspicious spots and would need to come back for some small fillings. I have had the misfortune of having rather cavity prone teeth my whole life and commented I should be Mrs. Dental Queen USA. My dental insurance sucks so I had to pay the difference between what they charge and what my insurance pays so I wrote a check.They gave me a follow up appointment to come back in a few weeks.
I had a quick errand to run and brought my blazer in to the dry cleaners to drop off. Then I decided to stop at Walmart because I drive past it on my way to work. Many of my co-workers are anti Walmart because of the wages and lack of health insurance afforded their workers by keeping most of them at part-time.I was in the mood to look at bras and decided to buy two. I also saw some loungey type sweat pants that I like to wear around the house so I bought a blue pair and a matching long sleeve T.
I had killed enough time by then and decided I better show up at work. It was 11:30 and I managed to get down the hallway and unlock my office door unnoticed. I checked in with the receptionist that I was there and then picked up stuff out of my mail box and returned to my office and shut my door so I could get some work done before anyone realized I was in. I decided to work thru lunch since I had been gone all morning and there is always paper work hanging over all our heads so I could get some done before my first appointment for the afternoon. In between I encountered a coworker who had to vent about a meeting the previous day that did not go well for her and I offered my sympathies. We often commiserate about a director-psychiatrist who is very difficult to deal with and has to be in control. I was able to eat a few crackers and cheese and some grapes before I saw my first client.
My afternoon consisted of seeing 3 back to back clients in a row but it wasn't too bad because it had been a short day for me but I was physically tired from all the snow shoveling and wrestling large chunks of wood in to the wood stove that morning. It started to snow again as I looked out the window and thought to myself "oh shit, another white knuckle drive home on snowy roads".It turned out to be okay .The roads weren't too bad and I was able to drive 50 miles an hour on the road home which is about a 16 mile trip.
Here comes the nice part. My husband saw me pull in the driveway and stood out on the front porch to greet me and gave me a big hug and kiss and told me he had missed me. I told him about having to shovel snow and load the wood stove and thanked him for all he does as part of his routine and how it made me appreciate all the things he does to keep the house going. He also told me I had done a good job keeping things going while he was away. He told me all about his trip while I cooked dinner and he told me he was glad to be home since he loves my food. We had chicken with apricot preserve as a marinade sauce, brown rice (he's not a big fan,can't convince him that white rice isn't good for you ), and broccoli, he will only eat the heads.
I am going to bed now after I type this post because I am really tired from all the physical activity which I am not really used to. I will be more assertive about him teaching me how to use the snow blower.
Tomorrow is another day.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My "Bucket List"
These are just some of the things I would like to experience before I leave this world. I'm really uncertain what happens to us when we expire. It would be comforting to know if there is something afterwards but no one I know has come back from the dead to elaborate or testify.
> visit the Great Wall of China
< take a really good photo of a hummingbird
> sail on the Caribbean
< travel to the Olympics
> swim with dolphins
< ride a gondola in Venice
> write a book
< have a conversation with the Dali Lama
> visit the Baseball Hall of Fame
< watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (or be in the parade)
> have at least one grandchild
< see peace in this world
> be visited by a friendly alien
< view an amazing sunset while drinking an extraordinary bottle of wine and have Pink Floyd on as loud as possible
> go to the jungle and see lions and tigers in the wild
< visit Tibet
This list is a work in progress and maybe I'll just do some of these things and not really think of it as my "bucket list".
> visit the Great Wall of China
< take a really good photo of a hummingbird
> sail on the Caribbean
< travel to the Olympics
> swim with dolphins
< ride a gondola in Venice
> write a book
< have a conversation with the Dali Lama
> visit the Baseball Hall of Fame
< watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (or be in the parade)
> have at least one grandchild
< see peace in this world
> be visited by a friendly alien
< view an amazing sunset while drinking an extraordinary bottle of wine and have Pink Floyd on as loud as possible
> go to the jungle and see lions and tigers in the wild
< visit Tibet
This list is a work in progress and maybe I'll just do some of these things and not really think of it as my "bucket list".
Monday, January 19, 2009
White Flakes in the Sky
Winter
not summer
grey snowy days, too many
hats, boots, and gloves
trying to keep warm
car in four wheel drive on way home from work, not happy
drifting and blowing
animal tracks in snow out in yard
snow blower shooting spouts like old faithful
stay inside, read a book with a cup of tea
keeping track of weather forecast
school cancelled
wood stove cranking out heat
under the covers, wearing socks to bed
People scurrying into buildings
seeing your own breath outside
waiting for Spring
not summer
grey snowy days, too many
hats, boots, and gloves
trying to keep warm
car in four wheel drive on way home from work, not happy
drifting and blowing
animal tracks in snow out in yard
snow blower shooting spouts like old faithful
stay inside, read a book with a cup of tea
keeping track of weather forecast
school cancelled
wood stove cranking out heat
under the covers, wearing socks to bed
People scurrying into buildings
seeing your own breath outside
waiting for Spring
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